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Saratoga firefighters moving in soon

"Saratoga volunteer firefighters will likely move equipment into their new station this week, according to Fire District 3 Chief Don Smith.The three-bay station has been finished for several months but remained unoccupied due to construction concerns. Those concerns have now been addressed, Smith said Tuesday.The main issue with the contractor, Steel Corp., was the steel siding on the building and if it was properly installed. Fire District 3 sent a letter to Steel Corp. in June demanding corrective measures.Since then, Smith said, the fire district, its architect, an expert in steel building, and the contractor have met at the station and agreed on a solution to every problem. We all agreed issue by issue, he said. Smith said Saratoga Battalion Chief Jim Towers, a marine engineer, was particularly helpful in the process.The new station is located about three miles north of Langley on Saratoga Road. Smith said the old station above Bell's Beach will temporarily be used for storage, but the Fire District commissioners are likely to sell the double-lot the cement block structure sits on. Why not put it back on the tax rolls if we don't have a purpose for it? Smith said. Don't call him if you're interested in the property. The fire district has public procedures in place for selling surplus property, beginning with requesting sales bids from all real estate offices in the district. "

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